Amador County – The Amador First 5 Bridge to Kindergarten program entered its second week Monday, and wraps up next Thursday, having helped dozens of children prepare for their official first day of school in kindergarten classes across Amador County. Some of the children have come out of a year of preschool, while others did not get that opportunity. Cheri (Sha-Ree) Garamendi, First 5 School Readiness Coordinator, is director of the Bridge to Kindergarten. She said the program is designed to help children prepare for Kindergarten, and “a priority is given to kids with little or no preschool.” Garamendi said this year, the program was “able to accommodate all of the kids.” There are 111 students at all 6 elementary schools in the Amador County Unified School District. That includes 2 classes each at Ione, Plymouth and Jackson Elementary Schools, and 1 class each at Pine Grove and Pioneer Elementary Schools. The 3-week program sends home a weekly envelope to get families accustomed to the district’s Tuesday Envelope. There is also a survey each week, with one focused on literacy, another on dental health, and the third a program evaluation. The students get graduation backpacks with supplies to use at home throughout their kindergarten year, Garamendi said. The Bridge program tries to help with academic and social skills and observe what students’ families need to work on to help the child get ready to enter school. Classes are smaller in the program, with a smaller student-to-teacher ratio. That will change as they enter kindergarten, due to budget constraints, as the district is looking to go to either a 1-to-28 or 1-to-30 teacher-to-student ratio in its classrooms. First 5 has a number of programs that help with education, literacy and health for children age zero to 5. Garamendi said they also work with Dad & Me and Mother’s Club, and are “big on parent involvement.” Other programs include the Amador Cooperative Preschool, Imagination Library, and the Oral Task Force “Smile Keepers.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Friday, 25 June 2010 06:45
Bridge To Kindergarten Preps Dozens Of Kids For 1st Day Of School
Written by Tom-
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Amador County – The Amador First 5 Bridge to Kindergarten program entered its second week Monday, and wraps up next Thursday, having helped dozens of children prepare for their official first day of school in kindergarten classes across Amador County. Some of the children have come out of a year of preschool, while others did not get that opportunity. Cheri (Sha-Ree) Garamendi, First 5 School Readiness Coordinator, is director of the Bridge to Kindergarten. She said the program is designed to help children prepare for Kindergarten, and “a priority is given to kids with little or no preschool.” Garamendi said this year, the program was “able to accommodate all of the kids.” There are 111 students at all 6 elementary schools in the Amador County Unified School District. That includes 2 classes each at Ione, Plymouth and Jackson Elementary Schools, and 1 class each at Pine Grove and Pioneer Elementary Schools. The 3-week program sends home a weekly envelope to get families accustomed to the district’s Tuesday Envelope. There is also a survey each week, with one focused on literacy, another on dental health, and the third a program evaluation. The students get graduation backpacks with supplies to use at home throughout their kindergarten year, Garamendi said. The Bridge program tries to help with academic and social skills and observe what students’ families need to work on to help the child get ready to enter school. Classes are smaller in the program, with a smaller student-to-teacher ratio. That will change as they enter kindergarten, due to budget constraints, as the district is looking to go to either a 1-to-28 or 1-to-30 teacher-to-student ratio in its classrooms. First 5 has a number of programs that help with education, literacy and health for children age zero to 5. Garamendi said they also work with Dad & Me and Mother’s Club, and are “big on parent involvement.” Other programs include the Amador Cooperative Preschool, Imagination Library, and the Oral Task Force “Smile Keepers.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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